Health · England
When I feel unwell
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This guide is for people in England.
You can read it with someone you trust.
Say how you feel
Tell someone if you feel unwell.
Use your words, signs, pictures or device.
People should listen
They should give you time.
A supporter can help explain what you mean.
Notice changes
You might eat less or feel much sleepier.
You might need more help than usual.
Explain what has changed
Say what you are usually like.
Say what is different and when it started.
Ask for health advice
Your GP can help.
Call 111 if you need medical help now and are unsure where to go.
Get emergency help
Call 999 for severe breathing problems.
Call 999 if someone cannot be woken.
Sepsis needs immediate help
Sepsis is a dangerous reaction to an infection.
Call 999 if you think someone may have sepsis.
Help for supporters
RESTORE2 Mini helps supporters notice changes.
The official links include training.
Do not wait for paperwork
A form does not tell you that someone is safe.
Do not delay emergency help to fill one in.
Ask what happens next
Ask when someone will contact you.
Ask what to do if you feel worse.
Ask again if things get worse
Contact the health service again if symptoms worsen.
Call 999 for a life-threatening emergency.
What you can do next
Use the links with someone who supports you.
Your own health plan should say who to contact.
Find tools and training Web pageThis link opens another website.
It may use harder words.
More useful links
- Skills for Care: RESTORE2 Mini tools and training Web page
Official resources for paid and unpaid carers. Includes a tool and training slides; use the guidance with suitable support.
- NHS: sepsis and when to get help Web page
Current NHS symptoms and emergency advice for adults and children.
- Mencap: sepsis in Easy Read Web pageEasy Read
Pictures and short explanations about sepsis and getting help. Published September 2026.
- NHS: using 111 Web page
When to telephone, online-service limits and accessible contact routes.
These links open other websites.
They may use harder words.
Noticing illness and getting help — Easy Read
Notice changes, explain concerns and ask for the right health help.
England · Recognising changes in health · Adults, children and supporters
Start with what the person says
Ask how the person feels using their familiar communication. Give time for their answer. A supporter can help explain changes, but should not replace the person’s account. Quietness, smiling or difficulty describing symptoms does not prove that someone is well. Tell the clinician about both the person’s message and what supporters have noticed.
Know what is usual
Describe the person’s usual communication, interests, movement, eating, drinking, sleep and toileting. This is sometimes called their baseline. It can help others notice a change. Keep this information current and private. An existing difficulty can still need treatment; calling something usual must not make pain or poor health acceptable.
Notice small changes
Changes may include less interest in an enjoyed activity, unusual sleepiness, eating less, new discomfort or needing more help. These can have different causes. Record what actually happened and when, rather than deciding that it is behaviour or part of learning disability. Ask a health professional to assess concerns.
Learn about RESTORE2 Mini
RESTORE2 Mini for carers helps paid and unpaid supporters recognise changes and communicate concerns. Skills for Care provides the official tool and training slides, developed with NHS partners and people with lived experience. Ask your service or health team how to learn and use it. The fuller RESTORE2 tool includes clinical observations; do not assume the two tools are interchangeable.
Use observations to seek help
If you use a monitoring tool, follow its training and any individual clinical plan. A record does not diagnose illness or rule it out. Only undertake clinical measurements you have been taught to take and interpret within your role. Do not wait for a complete chart, a particular score or another worker’s permission before getting emergency help.
Explain your concern clearly
Say who you are calling about, what has changed, when it began and why you are concerned. Mention relevant conditions, medicines, allergies and current plans. SBARD is a structured way of sharing concerns with health professionals, included in the RESTORE2 Mini training. You do not need to know an acronym to ask for help.
Choose the right health service
Contact the GP for a health concern. Ask for urgent advice when needed. If you need medical help now and cannot reach the GP, or are unsure where to go, call NHS 111. Call rather than use 111 online for a child under 5, a complex existing condition or a current problem covered by a clinical care plan.
Know when to call 999
Call 999 for a life-threatening emergency, such as severe difficulty breathing or someone who cannot be woken. Sepsis is a serious reaction to an infection. Call 999 if you think someone may have sepsis. Possible signs include new confusion, very fast breathing or unusual blue, pale or blotchy skin. Not everyone has every sign. Explain any change from usual.
Make contact accessible
Tell the service how the person communicates and what support they need. NHS 111 has text relay through 18001 111 and a BSL SignVideo service. You can ask for an interpreter. Plan useful contact arrangements with your health team before an urgent situation. A hospital passport can help, but searching for it must not delay help.
Agree the next step and follow it up
Ask what will happen next, when to expect contact and which changes mean you should seek help again. Write down the advice and check anything unclear. If symptoms change or worsen while waiting for 111, contact it again; call 999 for life-threatening deterioration. A previous assessment does not mean new concerns should be ignored.
If your concern is not being heard
Explain the specific change again and ask who will assess it. In hospital, ask the nurse in charge or responsible doctor and use the local escalation arrangements. The hospital-safety guide explains Martha’s Rule. Keep complaints separate from getting immediate clinical help. Afterwards, review what worked and update the person’s plans with them.
Words you could use
“This is different from my usual health. Please listen to what has changed, assess the concern and tell me what happens next.”
More useful links
- Skills for Care: RESTORE2 Mini tools and training Web page
Official resources for paid and unpaid carers. Includes a tool and training slides; use the guidance with suitable support.
- NHS: sepsis and when to get help Web page
Current NHS symptoms and emergency advice for adults and children.
- Mencap: sepsis in Easy Read Web pageEasy Read
Pictures and short explanations about sepsis and getting help. Published September 2026.
- NHS: using 111 Web page
When to telephone, online-service limits and accessible contact routes.
These links open other websites.
They may use harder words.
Where the information comes from
Links checked 7 November 2026.
These links open other websites.
They may use harder words.
- Skills for Care: spotting when someone becomes unwell Web page
RESTORE2 Mini, intended users, soft signs, training and structured communication.
- NHS England: recognising deterioration Web page
RESTORE2 and the learning disability RESTORE2 Mini project.
- NHS: sepsis Web page
Serious infection response, recognising symptoms and immediate help.
- NHS: when to use 111 Web page
Telephone rather than online for specified needs, accessible contact and changed symptoms.
- NHS England: reasonable adjustments Web page
Communication support and accessible healthcare.
- Mencap: sepsis Easy Read Web pageEasy Read
Accessible external resource; September 2026 edition.
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